Ithaca College

Contributed on behalf of Tom Grape ’80, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and David Lissy ’87, vice chairman of the Board of Trustees.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we would like to share with the Ithaca College community some news from our most recent meeting, held in Ithaca March 1–3.

But before we do that, we would like to take the time to say how pleased we were to announce two weeks ago that Shirley M. Collado will be Ithaca College’s ninth president. The board has the utmost confidence that she is the right person to lead our college into the future, and we were truly thrilled to see how enthusiastically she has been embraced by the IC community. In the months leading up to her official start date on July 1, we will continue to work with the administration and with the entire campus community to help ensure a smooth transition.

In the meantime, we also wanted to remind everyone that Collado will remain very busy attending to her current responsibilities as  executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at Rutgers University—Newark. As she wraps up projects there, we ask that you respect her remaining obligations and wait until her official start date before engaging her in regard to her new role at IC. When she does arrive on campus, we hope many of you will have a chance to meet with her and introduce yourselves.

Student Engagement
Trustees had the opportunity at a special lunch to engage with a number of impressive students from a variety of areas and programs on campus. Some of the students we met with had presented their undergraduate research at major conferences, and some were Martin Luther King scholars, Leadership scholars, winners of entrepreneurship competitions, and student-athletes.

Our conversations over lunch were enlightening and enriching. The students’ first-hand accounts of hands-on learning and the mentorship shared by our dedicated faculty and staff are remarkable. We always come away from these interactions energized and inspired to support the college in providing unique opportunities for our students like the ones we met.

Tenure and Promotions
During the board meeting, we were excited to recognize and congratulate our newly tenured, promoted, and emeritus faculty. Additionally, the board approved the college’s operating budget for 2017–18. Separate notices have been posted to Intercom announcing these board actions.

IC 20/20
On Thursday, the Board of Trustees hosted a reception and dinner to celebrate the creation and implementation of the IC 20/20 strategic plan to transform the Ithaca College learning experience. This time of presidential transition was an opportune moment to commemorate the conclusion of that plan and to honor the creativity, passion, ingenuity, and hard work of the many people who contributed to it.

Students, faculty, and staff shared with trustees and other guests their IC 20/20-related projects and experiences to help illustrate their work in three of the plan’s areas of focus: integrative learning, the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE), and the Center for Civic Engagement.

It was exciting to hear about the new degree programs in emerging media and image text, the IC Sustainability Week project in the School of Business, the ongoing partnership with Longview, and many other activities. We were amazed to learn about how the occupational therapy students are using a 3-D printer from the physics department to develop assistive devices for potential clients, and we were pleased to hear that CFE participants have served as faculty-in-residence and have attended the Early-Career Excellence Institute.

The board approved a resolution thanking and congratulating the administration, faculty, and staff of the college for their work in formulating the IC 20/20 strategic plan and for persevering in achieving the goals proclaimed by the plan; recognizing that the quality of the student educational experience has been further improved by achievement of the IC 20/20 goals; and looking forward to the next era of planning and accomplishment at Ithaca College.

We eagerly look forward to our return to campus for our May board meeting. In addition to our topical meeting sessions, it is always a special treat to participate in the Commencement celebration and meet so many proud IC students and families!

Tom Grape ’80
Chairman, Ithaca College Board of Trustees

David Lissy ’87
Vice Chairman, Ithaca College Board of Trustees